Island



(No Model.)

A. VESTER. BELTBUCKLE. 4

No. 556,292. Patented Mar. 10, 1896.

A A Fuss.

wmz 5 WITNESSES. lNVENTDR ANDREW B GRAHAM.PHOTOUTNOJNASHINYDNP O.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADOLPII VESTER, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

BELT-BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 556,292, dated March 10, 1896. Application filed May 3, 1895. Serial No. 547,974. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADOLPH VEsTER, of the city and county of Providence, in the State of Rhode Island, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Belt-Buckles and I declare the following to be a specification thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Like letters indicate like parts.-

Figure 1 is a view in elevation showing the back of a belt-buckle provided with my invention. Fig. 2 is a view in cross-section on line as 00 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows in elevation my improved belt-buckle in position upon a belt. 3/ y of Fig. 3.

My invention is a buckle adapted to be used as a fastening device upon a woven belt; and

it consists in providing the usual buckleplate upon its rear with a longitudinally-bent clamping-bar having at its center a bent loop and pivotally mounted at its ends in earpieces fastened to the buckle-plate and fixed bars or stops upon the buckle-plate, which extend in one line at a right angle from the earpieces, respectively, but with their ends separated, so as to leave a central opening, as hereinafter particularly described.

In the drawings, A represents the plate of the buckle.

B B are the two earpieces soldered or otherwise fastened upon the back of the plate A. Each earpiece B has preferably integral therewith an extension or stop 0, bent at a right angle to the earpiece and fastened by soldering or otherwise to the plate A. These extensions O are located in one line, but their ends do not meet, but are separated a certain distance apart, so as to leave a central opening or space between them.

D is the clamping-bar longitudinally bent on the line a throughout its entire length and having a projecting central portion 1), which has an opening or eye 0, said portion 1) being bent and curved, as shown in cross-section in Figs. 2 and 4 The clamping-bar D at its ends is provided with pins d, soldered or fastened thereto, which pins pass through holes in the earpieces B. The belt is shown at E in Figs. 3 and 4.

It is usual to attach the end of the belt to Fig. tis a view in cross-section on line the buckle by sewing it to a fixed cross-bar thereon. By my device the belt is securely fastened to the buckle without sewing simply by the movement of the clamping-bar, and can, whenever desired, be instantaneously detached therefrom.

The belt is inserted between the plate A and the clamping-bar D when the latter is in the position shown in Fig. 2 and passes over the top of the extension stop-piece O. The open space between the ends of the extensionpieces 0 allows the easy insertion of the belt, which, by passing a corner thereof between said ends and under the edge of the clampingbar D there exposed, is readily drawn under said bar so as to lie straight and in proper position to be compressed thereby. If the ends of the extension-pieces C were not thus open, but extending continuously from one earpiece to the other, it would be practically very difficult to pass the belt over such extended piece, down under the edge of the clamping-bar; but with such-space conveniently provided there, ample room is given for that purpose. The clamping-bar D is then turned to the position indicated in Fig. 4, the bent central portion of said bar D serving as a handle to turn said bar. If these extensions or stops 0 were not provided, the clampingedge of the bar D might be carried too far and so lose its effective hold upon the belt.

It is here seen that the belt E makes two short, sharp bends, and when the clasp or hook on the other end of the belt (not shown) is caught or engaged in the eye 0 of the clamping-bar D the strain upon the belt is in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4 but as the belt in passing over the edge of the stops 0 is brought into a plane very near to that of the pivots d, and from thence passes down beside the face of the bent portion of the clamping-bar D and under the edge thereof, the said bar is drawn with greater force,

and the compression of the belt so produced between the bent portion of the bar D and the stops 0 holds the belt E immovably.

If it is desired, whenever the belt is not thick enough for the purpose, to increase the bite of the clamping-bar upon it, theend thereof marked 6 may be returned and brought under the edge of the bar D and over the edge of the stops 0 and thus permit a greater compression of the belt, thereby tastening it in place still more securely.

The extensions 0 serve as stops to prevent any movement of the clamping-bar D beyond the position shown in Fig. 4:. \Vhen it is desired to remove the belt from the buckle the motion of the clamping-bar D is reversed by moving the central bent portion thereof as a handle, and when the bar D is brought to the position shown in Fi 2 the belt is easily withdrawn.

It will be noted that the gripping action in my construction is not between the bar and the plate entirely, but more particularly be tween the bar and the extensions of the ears, the webbing of the belt lying against the plate and being turned upwardly and then outwardly over the extensions of the ears, whereby a gripping action is had against the edge of said extensions, and the web is thus more firmly held in place.

I claim as a novel and useful invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent .1. A belt, comprising a plate, ears on said plate having extensions turned at right angles thereto to lie in a common plane against the plate, a tongue provided with a bar journaled in said ears, said bar being angular in erosssection, the tongue being turned at an angle to cause gripping action between the edge of the bar and the extensions of the ears, and a webbing passed beneath the bar and adapted to be bent upwardly and over the extensions of the ears and frictionally engage therewith when the bar is turned into operative position.

2. A device of the class described comprising a plate, ears on said plate having extensions turned at right angles thereto to lie in a common plane, the ends of said extensions being separated by an interspace, and a tongue provided with a bar adapted to exert gripping action in connection with the extensions of the ears.

ADOLPII VESTER.

Witnesses:

WARREN R. lnnon, DANIEL W. FINK. 

